Vitamin C Deficiency in Guinea Pigs

Treatment

Treatment includes giving your pet guinea pig daily vitamin C supplements for 1-2 weeks, either by mouth as directed by your veterinarian or by injection at your veterinarian's office. Administration of multivitamin tablets is not recommended as many guinea pigs develop allergic reactions to some of the other minerals that are present in the tablets.

Living and Management

Your pet guinea pig will need to be monitored carefully while it is recovering from vitamin C deficiency. Consult your veterinarian about the specialized diet you will need to prepare for your guinea pig, both to treat the condition as it is occurring and to prevent further episodes from occurring.

Some of the foods that are rich in vitamin C, and that guinea pigs tend to enjoy, are kale, tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, broccoli, dandelion greens, cabbage, and oranges, amongst other foods.

Prevention

Because this is a relatively common ailment in guinea pigs, you should consider taking steps to prevent vitamin C deficiency from occurring in the first place, before it becomes an issue. Ensure that the feed you are providing to your guinea pig contains an allowance of at least ten milligrams of vitamin C per day, and if you are preparing a diet for a pregnant guinea pig, make sure to increase the allowance to about 30 milligrams of vitamin C per day.

It is important to take note that too much vitamin C in the diet can bring about its own set of problems, so care needs to be taken to rotate the types of vegetables and feed you are offering to your guinea pigs, as well as the amount of these foods your are offering.